THE AUTHENTIC AMERICAN STANDARD REPLACEMENT GASKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! New gaskets are clear, better made👍) amzn.to/2L4HjqK AMERICAN STANDARD 3174.105-0070A CHAMPION UNIVERSAL REPLACEMENT FLUSH VALVE: amzn.to/3xszmpV American Standard 738995020A Left Hand Plastic Trip Lever For Champion 4 Toilet Tanks, Polished Chrome amzn.to/2YXAORW
Check It Out !!! Thanks for the video. Needed a quick reminder. We think the toilet is well worth the minor inconvenience of the valve. I have ordered another to keep on hand, from Amazon.
Wish I had seen video before I bought the home depot one. No worries having my wife buy 2 backups from your amazon link. The problem was exactly what you said mine had the bubbles.
Thank you for posting!Just ordered my gaskets'!Glad I did not have to replace the 'barrel-assembly'!It's 'very- tightly' screwed in the bottom of the toilet/porcelain!🍻
Hey, I fixed the dumb American Standard inferior flush gasket today. Again, I will NEVER buy another American Standard toilet. I followed your advice about a year ago to kinda fix the toilet, but the flush gasket needed replacing. NONE of the plumbers I consulted or had to the house could figure out that water was leaking thru the flush gasket EXCEPT one of the plumbers who works at Home Depot. I salute you for your American “ standards” videos. Thank you!
Thanks. My toilet has been running for weeks and I had noticed the bubble. My local hardware store didn’t have the same seal, so I have been turning the water off and on to use the toilet while I searched online. I punctured the bubble and the leak stopped. I also ordered a genuine part for later on. My electric bill (for the well pump) was enormous last month, so I think it’s been leaking for several weeks or maybe even longer than I realized. Appreciate the video and your helper.
Thank you. This was my problem. One quick stop to the hardware store and back in "business" within 5 minutes. Thanks for the video. Update: It was still leaking by a little. Another video talked about making sure the 4 notches on the lid line up before screwing it back together. That seems to have done the trick. Still, this was very helpful. Thanks again.
Now that I'm old and nothing is "standard' or 'universal' anymore. I will never go to Home Depot again w/o first investigating ANY project on YTube. Because I think we all know by now Home Depot has every thing you don't need. Thank you for the info and link, cheers !
I"m a female who knows very little about toilets but seem to have stumbled on this problem with my Champion toilet as well ghost flushing...It stressed me out big time lately so thanks for making this video...i think after watching it a few times, I'm hoping to be able to get this fixed. thank u.
I just replaced my gasket today and I had a spare (thankfully) from Home Depot. It had been just about two years since the last toilet tango, and all seems to be well! My gasket had one large blister, two medium ones, and coming in last was a tiny blister.
my toilet is same model but different method (only a year old). Top flapper is one piece and had to unscrew inside stem from flapper then snap off the outer clamp holding gasket in place.
If u have a toilet to replace put a cadet3 American standard in it has lots fewer problems. The Clorox in city water eats the towers as the champion has. So install cadet 3 , has great flush and takes way longer for flush flopper to wear out many years note the tabs u put in tank destroy your rubber in tank and speeds prosess up as breaks down ur rubber in tank
I've got a Cadet 3. Formed the bubbles a couple years in. Replaced with a 3" Korky. No bubbles! Now the flush valve gasket, at the bottom of the tank, is disintegrating into fine rubber pieces.
Pretty disappointing but If that's the only problem with this toilet I think I can live with it. That "10 year inside and out" warranty is going to come in handy. I just replaced a 65 year old pink American standard with a Champion 4 and am loving how powerful the flush is despite using half the water.
Loosening the black thumbscrew: BEFORE YOU USE THE BRUTE-FORCE APPROACH by using pliers (which almost never ends well), pour hot water over the top of the thumbscrew. I heated 8 ounces of water in a measuring cup for 2 minutes in the microwave. Hot tap water wasn’t hot enough. After slowly pouring the hot water over the top of the thumbscrew, it loosened rather easily with my 65 year old hands. Not surprisingly, the installing plumber originally torqued it down so hard as to necessitate a $175 call back. Yes, 2 clicks when you retighten is enough.
My American Standards are less than a year old. I bought three at one time to replace three old toilets. Two of them have the leaking seals at less than a year. Also, how could I almost forget that the flapper chain on one corroded away already.
A temporary fix is to pop the gasket blisters with a needle. Also disregard the repair kit instruction to "Disconnect chain from lever arm by removing hair pin cotter & clevis pin." As can be seen in the video, this step is unnecessary. When contacting American Standard to order a replacement gasket, the customer service representative warned against the use of in tank chlorine cleaning tablets due to the damage caused to the gaskets and washers. Later, in doing some on line research, I came across a post advising that many toilet manufacturers are now putting warning labels on their products stating that “damage caused by in-tank tablets will not be covered under product warranties and should not be used.”
After watching this video, I ordered 3 gasket kits for my exactly-the-same-age toilets (over 4 years old). One has begun ghost flushing, and I found the blisters you describe. Oddly, it is the toilet with the middle amount of use, of the three. The other two appear to still be perfect. While waiting on the new seals, I took the defective seal off, and used a straight pin to pierce each blister. Water squirted out of some of them, but I pressed on each one, and emptied a drop of water from each blister. This made the defective seal look and work, perfectly. Perhaps the manufacturing process leaves some specks of very hydroscopic material (curing agent?) in the gasket, that slowly absorbs water, inflating the blisters. I'm going to wait a while before replacing the seal, to see if new blisters appear. By the way, all the nuts were way over tightened, at the factory, and I was afraid they would break, if I turned them hard enough to come loose. I poured a cup of hot water, over the top of the valve and this softened the plastic enough to get them past the first click, without breaking.
Excellent tutorial. My wife has been after me for weeks to fix the slow leak but I hate plumbing. After watching your video and a quick trip to Lowe’s I had the problem painlessly solved in minutes! Thanks
Thanks for a great video! I've replaced several of these gaskets over the 11 years that I've owned two of the Champion 4's. Thanks to your video, this is the first time I've replaced one myself. They ARE awesome toilets otherwise. American Standard has never charged me a cent for any of the replacement gaskets. (Love your cameraman.)
I bought 3 of these toilets based on Consumer Reports and all 3 are leaking. I lost my receipt and have to pay American Standard for replacement parts. Now I don't trust American Standard or Consumer Reports. Thanks for posting this video. Great explanations and video positioning.
Hafeez Jaffer If you don’t have your receipt, purchase the ones on Amazon. Go through the link I have in the description. Some on Amazon are the real thing and some are knock offs. The link I have on there will take you right to the real one. It’s less expensive than if you go through American standard and you’ll get it faster. Good luck with it.
In fairness to Consumer Reports it would be prohibitively expensive to test toilets long enough for a flaw like this to show up. American Standard should do the right thing and offer free replacement parts.
I would call AMer. Std back and point out that it is a well documented problem online about the blistering/bubbling of the gasket material and you want to talk with a CSR supervisor. As to a receipt, unless you paid cash for 3 toilets, go back thru your checks or credit card statements and find the check or expenditure. with that you can get a copy of the check or a record of the charge.
video is great. but the nut is on so tight I am unable to loosen it at all - any hints? you did explain procedure much better than the other videos-- thank you thank you I used suggestion from below using pliers to loosen bolt.... it worked and very easy I also cleaned the calcium build up before I did it .. thank you thank you
Just in case anybody needs a temporary solution, if you find that your silicone valve has bubbles, carefully take a pin or needle and pierce the bubbles to release the water that is trapped. I did this for mine just now and it is no longer leaking. I'm still going to order a replacement part, but this will hold me through until I receive the part.
That pile of stuff in the bottom right of your toilet tank is what is causing those gaskets to where out so often. I have been a plumber for 35+ years and those tablets they sell that are supposed to clean your toilet automatically have a dye in them, which is what makes them a pretty color in the bowl water. That dye breaks down the rubber in a short period of time. Stop using those tabs in the tank and you will find that those gaskets will last for years rather than months
Having watched the video, I just ordered the gasket kit for original parts thru Lowes. Amazon had a link at the beginning of the comments section, but they all seemed to be aftermarket knockoffs. I don’t know if it’s planned obsolescence, lack of quality control, lack of pride in doing something well, or a combination of the above, but things made nowadays seem to fall apart rather quickly. I don’t remember growing up with having to have stuff repaired or replaced with such frequency. 🙄
I installed the gasket - and shortly after - the problem presented again. No bubbles, nothing - just wouldn't seal. Eventually, I turned the gasket over, and problem is resolved. By the way, those bubles are water filled - maybe an osmosis thing ...
Thanks! I installed two toilets (by a plumber) 3+ years ago; one leaked, the other is still fine. Got a 2-pack of the seals at Amazon for $8 (I have prime). Quick fix in 10 mins. The only part that takes a little courage is the first twist of that top nut. I felt that I would snap it (but didn't). After that, easy peasy. I counted 13 bubbles on the old seal. I'll just keep a few seals in my shop, and replace as often as I have to, no big deal. Our municipal water has a lot of chlorine in it, I wonder if that's the reason. Cheap fix for an otherwise great toilet.
Thank you for sharing this video. I just called American Standard customer support and was able to get a free gasket replacement. All they asked for was the model number inside the toilet tank and purchase date, no receipt needed it. 10 year warranty per customer service. Also looks like it’s a red gasket now they have re-engineered it.
We have a brand new American Standard Champion 4 toilet. It has had Phantom Flush since we put it in. We watched your video. The problem is the green part you put the new gasket on does not have the black nut as shown in your video. It has a green part to hook the chain that looks like it is permanently molded to the large green circle. Have you seen one like this? If so, how do you take it apart?
My toilet was running constantly and made my water bill go up $30 dollars. I found the bubble just like you said and I pierced it with a needle. Water shot out of the gasket and it now seals good as new. I’ll wait awhile before I buy a new gasket to see if this is a solution for me.
I called American standard and I had no receipt, they said no worries, it has a 10 year warranty and they sent me the gasket kit free, took 1 week to receive it
So the essential question is, why is the gasket material (even the American Standard product) prone to blistering? For crying out loud!!! The regular flapper valve materials used on conventional toilets last much longer. Also, I see no reason for the elaborate hanging mechanism that screws into the top of the flapper assembly. Why not a simple hole and hook setup like conventional flapper valves? Seems like American Standard over engineered this baby, and that is causing some of these problems. I won't be buying this piece of junk.
The little black part at 5:28 that unscrews has an o-ring installed in a groove. That cheapie o ring will deteriorate over several years and can cause a phantom flush. I replaced 2 Korky' flaps (they don't supply the o-ring in their kit) and was on my way to replacing the entire flush valve assembly, which involves about $40 in parts and seperating the tank from the bowl. New o-ring from a faucet set and problem solved.
Thanks for posting this. Yes it’s important to replace both the blue large seal and the small black o-ring. I think your best bet is to purchase these on Amazon or get them straight from American Standard. Be careful Amazon has some real ones and some knock offs. I put a link in the description to the real ones. 
Looks like Korky now supplies the o-ring. www.korky.com/products/flapper-seal-replacements-flush-valve-replacements/fits-american-standard-champion-seal
Thanks for the video. I have four of them. 3 are leaking. Water bill has been going up for months. For those that are having a hard time unscrewing the nut... I used needle nose pliers and it pops right over that plastic stop. Popping holes in the blisters and putting it back together while waiting for replacement was also a great comment down below.
Thanks, fixed my issue. Amazing how American Standard managed to use a gasket material that can't hold up to such a simple environment like a toilet bowl. There's zero UV light, the temperature is cool, and it's not having that much pressure exerted on it. Yet, the god forsaken things can't last past a couple of years. I swapped mine out and it had two water-filled "blisters."
Good analysis, friend. You'd think the "engineers" could have figured out how to not make this thing leak. Glad I don't own this toilet (it's my parents'). It's freakin' 2019. I mean, we put a man on the moon 50 years ago, but can't make a toilet that doesn't leak??
Mine pop and then only turn a small amount. Which hit the made on twist stops . Make me think it was a push down twist lock . After your video. I when back a twist harder. Hoping not to break the shaft . It finally popped really loud . And I was able to then get it to unscrew . The Fluidmaster 510A_001 . Picture instruction doesn't explain any of that . And the kit does not come with the small red rubber seal . But has stop the problem. As far as I can tell . Thank you . For your help .
It will fix it! If, for some reason, it still leaking check out my other video, it’s title is “still leaking? Here’s how to fix it! American Standard Champion 4”
Excellent video. Just one pointer for you if you read the American standard literature they tell you not to use the chlorine pucks inside the tank, as it will distort your washer
My gasket had a bubble just as described in this video. When I punctured the bubble with a needle, liquid sprayed out under pressure and the gasket returned to its proper shape. I think if I had done this first then I probably would not have had to replace the gasket. I can only see two possibilities for this phenomenon:- water leaks in but cannot leak out despite being under pressure -- which seems unlikely although Gore-tex does a similar trick with water vapour; OR the plastic of the gasket degrades into a liquid which has a higher volume than the solid form, creating a bubble -- also weird. Any ideas on the chemistry behind what's happening?
My old Mayfair toilet went 25 years without having to replace the flapper. I bought the American Standard to save water and because of the ten year warranty. It started leaking eighteen months after installation. Of course by then I had misplaced my sales receipt and warranty papers. The water saver toilets with the large tank valves have not been out for ten years so in my opinion American Standard should make good on their warranty and replace the parts for free. My opinion of American Standard has dropped considerably because of this manufacturing design defect not being addressed. I have two other toilets to replace but they will not be replaced with American Standard toilets.
Thanks to your video, I was able to diagnose the problem with my toilet quickly. However, I did not have to replace the gasket. Like a blister we have on our hands, I pierced it with the tip of a sharp knife and expressed the water from the blister. The gasket was perfectly flat afterwards and I reinstalled it. No more leaks for now. If it happens again, I’ll do the same thing until the gasket is too worn out to be reused.
Wow! I cannot say thank you enough for your video! You are a life saver! This leak has been very stressful to me as I have not been well and my toilet is just a little over a year old. Its been leaking for months and I didn't understand how a brand new toilet could be leaking so soon. But thanks to you with your good video , great explanation and your cute little camera man. I was able to fix my toilet and now know what I need to do in the future to keep it from leaking again. Keep up the good work and God bless 😊
It took two weeks after I contacted them for American Standard to get the replacement gasket to me. Installation was a snap thanks to your video. Sure enough, the old gasket had three bubbles in it. I have two American Standard Champion 4 toilets. The first one was purchased in 2011 and has not started leaking yet. The second purchased in 2012 started leaking a few months ago. So my experience has been a little better than yours. I do agree with your assessment that these are awesome toilets. I may replace the gasket in the older toilet just to be ahead of the game. I think this is a design flaw and American Standard should offer free replacement parts regardless of whether or not you have your receipt. I did have my receipt, but how many people save their receipts for 10 years? Thanks for taking the time to post this video. Oh, and thanks to Ben also.
Thank you! Thank you! This is a perfect video with easy instructions. I did order the American Standard parts on Amazon. It took me like 5 minutes to repair. Thanks for sharing 😊
Hi, I posted a similar video as I had received notices from our water/sewage dept informing me of excessive water usage. I had two new toilets(American Std) installed and thought that was it. Some time passed and my wife told me she could hear water running. Sure enough it was. Took me some time to figure out what was going on and eventually called the manufacturer . They immediately identify red the problem and sent me new seals. When they arrived I found the graphics on tge instructions to be different; my cap did not have the screw on the top. This made the installation so much more challenging. I am still not happy with this product as I have seen sone small bubbles around the seal which, in my case appears to have a smaller O.D. than yours.
Thank you for the very helpful video. I purchased the genuine American Standard gasket and installed. It's still ghost flushing. Your video makes me think I didn't get the last step, settling in the top cover, in between clicks. What do you suggest I try next? I have a new flush valve assembly on hand (genuine) but don't want to replace if it's not indicated.
I am disappointed that American Standard changed the very common flapper design with their leaky one. As I recall, it was even priced above average and now I know that there was a hidden gasket subscription. Maybe I should check UA-cam for repair videos before buying something.... The video was just what I needed though, thanks!
Try 4months…. Bought in June 2024 started ghost flushing last week…..August 2024…. They could surely make a better gasket…. It is a American Standard gasket…. I just bought it….
I purchased the seal from American Standard and did everything exactly the same as your video. Unfortunately my toilet is still doing the same thing. What’s my next step? Thanks in advance.
ty for the video, i just bought the whole flush valve assembly, at Lowes, only had 1 in stock, home depot only carries it online, even though that's where i bought toilet. there valve i bought was American standard but was slightly different, (you can now take bottom off guide rod, but i just replaced the gasket without changing the whole valve, and it's working perfect. the screws on top was hard to turn, due to locking system, but needle nose pliers did the trick. wish I'd seen the video and just bought the gasket. but it's working, I'm done, wife happy, and didn't need to take tank off. ty.
Thanks for the video. As you mentioned I did find bubbles on the gasket. However, I found the alternate temporary solution to the problem. Since I didn't have a new gasket, I took a needle and started puncturing all those tiny bubbles. As I was puncturing them a very small amount of water came out of it. Be careful not to puncture all the way through, just enough to flatten the bubble. I did that last night, and now no more dripping, or filling of tank after every 5 minutes.
I bought five of them. One is leaking. Lowe’s guy suggested I use some silicone grease and it worked. I am going to bring him donuts as appreciation and the fact that he saved me a few hundred dollars.
Thank you! This simple fix was what I needed. I've changed 30 ballcock assemblies and just bought a replacement without looking at the toilet. Once I lifted the lid, I had quite the surprise with the newer valve. (DUH, I know...) Returned the other item and bought the gasket only and fixed the leak in 1 minute. You're a champ, mate!
I can’t get the black cap to remove. It only turns once and then it has “humps” blocking it to keep it from unscrewing all the way. I don’t want to force it for fear of breaking it. It looks just like the one in the video.
Agree this is FLAW but a great toilet. This worked 100%. Bought a "Korkey" seal at Lowes for $9 CND. Gasket is much better and says guaranteed for 5 years but if last a few years I am good. Thanks for the video!
Just installed one.... The lady of the house would not let me pick the toilet.... it sucks soo bad. I can't believe they still sell these! I mean, these videos are old! How come there's no class action lawsuit on this? First flush, I was like... I'm ordering a Toto drake 2 and dropping this thing from a tall building.
Going to Amazon and looking at the reviews of the gasket, I found a cheaper solution. Take a push pin and pop all the blisters, push out all the water. Put the gasket back on. Fixed it for me. I find that they're making these faulty gasket for years now, to be disgusting. It's a low flow toilet, that has a easy to solve gasket issue that invalidates the low flow aspect of the product. The toilet is great, flushed great, when my old toilet didn't work well. Just disappointing that we must deal with this.
You can pop the blisters and that will work for a short period of time. Once the gaskets start doing blisters then they will start having more and more blisters. You’ll have to pop them on a monthly basis. Buy a new gasket and you shouldn’t have to deal with it for two years.
Thank you! I’m so glad I saw this video. I thought I had to replace the entire valve! Took tank off back and then saw this! Thanks again. Much easier! Good to know because I also have two of these toilets!
This has to be the WORST toilet i ever owned in my lifetime. That gasket breaks every 6 months even if you use the original American Standard non knock off version. These American Standard toilets are junk and won't last! i replaced with Kohler and have ZERO problems..spend the extra cash and get yourself a real toilet
Thanks for your video! ... FOUR THINGS I WANT TO MENTION. ... 1) Blisters were on only one side for mine. So, I flopped it over and it stopped leaking!!! I have one on order too. ……......... 2) In our litigious society I'm surprised a lawyer isn't filing a class action lawsuit against American Standard. If someone wants to create a web site to acquire names, then sign me up!!! ...... 3) Watch his follow-up video for proper alignment!!! .......... 4) The "new" white/clear gaskets STILL bubble like before, so how can you say they are BETTER????
In short, thank you, and I would like American Standard (or someone) to try popping the air bubbles with a safety pin, and check if that fixes the leak at least temporarily. If so, then that information should be posted prominently. A new seal purchased from Lowes hardware shop (American Standard brand, says 5 year warranty, $8) solved my problem. The package of the new seal did not have a diagram showing that the top screw comes out (this is a suggestion for American Standard) and so I could not figure out how to remove the old seal, and found this video very useful. I had 2 new of these American Standard Champion toilets installed 3 years ago, and one of them started leaking 6 months ago. I found around half a dozen air bubbles in the old seal, a few as big as a quarter inch diameter. After replacing the old seal, I popped the air bubbles in the old seal (after removing it) with a safety pin and the surface became flat again. I thought I would try this on my other toilet, but, surprisingly, the seal of the other toilet had zero air bubbles. So, I left it as it is. I am disappointed by this design of the toilet tank by American Standard. Have they not tested the seals they install for quality control? It is clear from my two toilets that some installed seals are prone to air bubbles and some are not. They should find a way to avoid installing defective seals. If I had known this problem that the seals need replacement every 3 years, I would have installed a different toilet instead of this American Standard. The extra $50 or $100 might have been worth all this trouble.
These replacement gaskets are available on Amazon for$7.00 including shipping (I just ordered two on sale for $5.43 a piece). The are the real deal, i.e.: American Standard. I haven't contacted American Standard yet to find out what material that the red o-ring is made from but I suspect that it is buna-n (I have twenty years of experience as a chemist) and the material compatibility charts indicate the following "BUNA-N is listed as "highly resistant" to petroleum products"...
Jonathan Bennett Great comment. I think you’re absolutely right. The good news is if you replace that gasket once every two years you should be in good shape. It’s an excellent toilet if you’re proactive about replacing the gaskets.
“It’s a great toilet, except for it leaks every two years”. Okay buddy, if you think a brand new $200 toilet that leaks every two years is a good toilet to you, then I’d hate to see what you think a bad one is.
THE AUTHENTIC AMERICAN STANDARD REPLACEMENT GASKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! New gaskets are clear, better made👍) amzn.to/2L4HjqK
AMERICAN STANDARD 3174.105-0070A CHAMPION UNIVERSAL REPLACEMENT FLUSH VALVE: amzn.to/3xszmpV
American Standard 738995020A Left Hand Plastic Trip Lever For Champion 4 Toilet Tanks, Polished Chrome amzn.to/2YXAORW
Check It Out !!! Thanks for the video. Needed a quick reminder. We think the toilet is well worth the minor inconvenience of the valve. I have ordered another to keep on hand, from Amazon.
Thank you man!
The amazon link has a normal, "improved", "new" and "2020" model. What's the difference"?
Ya my toilet is two years old and already needs parts
#Americanstandsucks
Wish I had seen video before I bought the home depot one. No worries having my wife buy 2 backups from your amazon link. The problem was exactly what you said mine had the bubbles.
Thank you for posting!Just ordered my gaskets'!Glad I did not have to replace the 'barrel-assembly'!It's 'very- tightly' screwed in the bottom of the toilet/porcelain!🍻
Hey, I fixed the dumb American Standard inferior flush gasket today. Again, I will NEVER buy another American Standard toilet. I followed your advice about a year ago to kinda fix the toilet, but the flush gasket needed replacing. NONE of the plumbers I consulted or had to the house could figure out that water was leaking thru the flush gasket EXCEPT one of the plumbers who works at Home Depot. I salute you for your American “ standards” videos. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for the kind comment!👍😎
Had the same exact bubble you had. Replaced the seal and no more problems. Thank you for the step by step.
You’re welcome, glad it worked! Thank you for the kind comment.👍😎
I love UA-cam because of videos like this! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
Thanks. My toilet has been running for weeks and I had noticed the bubble. My local hardware store didn’t have the same seal, so I have been turning the water off and on to use the toilet while I searched online. I punctured the bubble and the leak stopped. I also ordered a genuine part for later on. My electric bill (for the well pump) was enormous last month, so I think it’s been leaking for several weeks or maybe even longer than I realized.
Appreciate the video and your helper.
Thank you. This was my problem. One quick stop to the hardware store and back in "business" within 5 minutes. Thanks for the video. Update: It was still leaking by a little. Another video talked about making sure the 4 notches on the lid line up before screwing it back together. That seems to have done the trick. Still, this was very helpful. Thanks again.
You’re welcome! Consider a donation to my Super Thanks. If not, that’s totally okay!👍😎
Worked like a charm! I'm the furthest thing from a plumber and completed this task in 10 minutes. Thank you so much.
Now that I'm old and nothing is "standard' or 'universal' anymore. I will never go to Home Depot again w/o first investigating ANY project on YTube. Because I think we all know by now Home Depot has every thing you don't need. Thank you for the info and link, cheers !
You’re welcome.
Thank you you made it easy enough to knock it out with your video. Thanks Ben you did a great job recording your dad's work 👍
Your welcome! Thank you for the kind comment!👍
Very helpful. Thank Ben for the camera work.
Thanks for the video and the good job done by the camera little man!
You’re welcome 👍
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This 71 year old fixed her toilet in less than 10 minutes for under $7!
I"m a female who knows very little about toilets but seem to have stumbled on this problem with my Champion toilet as well ghost flushing...It stressed me out big time lately so thanks for making this video...i think after watching it a few times, I'm hoping to be able to get this fixed. thank u.
You can do it! I believe in you!
Thanks Ben. Great job. Tell your boss to give you a raise. 😁👍
Yes, mine ghost flushes hourly at least. Thanks for vid
You’re welcome! Consider a donation to my Super Thanks. If not, that’s totally okay!👍😎
I just replaced my gasket today and I had a spare (thankfully) from Home Depot. It had been just about two years since the last toilet tango, and all seems to be well! My gasket had one large blister, two medium ones, and coming in last was a tiny blister.
Very good tutorial. Thank you.
my toilet is same model but different method (only a year old). Top flapper is one piece and had to unscrew inside stem from flapper then snap off the outer clamp holding gasket in place.
Excellent video and info. You just solved my problem as well. Nice job to you and your helper. Cheers!
Thanks Kenneth, happy to help 👍
It was driving me nuts too hahaha! I learn something new every day 👌🏻
You havena great camera operator / assistant.
Wow! Thank you! You rock!
Thanks for posting! This made replacing the gasket quite easy
If u have a toilet to replace put a cadet3 American standard in it has lots fewer problems. The Clorox in city water eats the towers as the champion has. So install cadet 3 , has great flush and takes way longer for flush flopper to wear out many years note the tabs u put in tank destroy your rubber in tank and speeds prosess up as breaks down ur rubber in tank
I've got a Cadet 3. Formed the bubbles a couple years in. Replaced with a 3" Korky. No bubbles! Now the flush valve gasket, at the bottom of the tank, is disintegrating into fine rubber pieces.
Pretty disappointing but If that's the only problem with this toilet I think I can live with it. That "10 year inside and out" warranty is going to come in handy.
I just replaced a 65 year old pink American standard with a Champion 4 and am loving how powerful the flush is despite using half the water.
Loosening the black thumbscrew: BEFORE YOU USE THE BRUTE-FORCE APPROACH by using pliers (which almost never ends well), pour hot water over the top of the thumbscrew. I heated 8 ounces of water in a measuring cup for 2 minutes in the microwave. Hot tap water wasn’t hot enough. After slowly pouring the hot water over the top of the thumbscrew, it loosened rather easily with my 65 year old hands. Not surprisingly, the installing plumber originally torqued it down so hard as to necessitate a $175 call back. Yes, 2 clicks when you retighten is enough.
Great tip. Thank you!
Oh sweet Jesus, thank you. I owe you a beer.
Omgg you are a Saint! I tried 3 separate times couldn't lossen that dam nut .That hot water worked Perfectly 😊😊
@@kyleridley8096 Anything to not have to call a plumber. Thanks you made my day 😉
Thank you! This was tripping me up and the exact reason I came to see this video.
I don’t have a twist top so what do I need to do to change out the seal?
Mine does not have a twist top either
Are these toilets better than kohler?
My American Standards are less than a year old. I bought three at one time to replace three old toilets. Two of them have the leaking seals at less than a year. Also, how could I almost forget that the flapper chain on one corroded away already.
They know about it and can't make a seal that does not plister?
A temporary fix is to pop the gasket blisters with a needle.
Also disregard the repair kit instruction to "Disconnect chain from lever arm by removing hair pin cotter & clevis pin." As can be seen in the video, this step is unnecessary.
When contacting American Standard to order a replacement gasket, the customer service representative warned against the use of in tank chlorine cleaning tablets due to the damage caused to the gaskets and washers. Later, in doing some on line research, I came across a post advising that many toilet manufacturers are now putting warning labels on their products stating that “damage caused by in-tank tablets will not be covered under product warranties and should not be used.”
I have no bubbles but the toilet ghost flushes …
After watching this video, I ordered 3 gasket kits for my exactly-the-same-age toilets (over 4 years old). One has begun ghost flushing, and I found the blisters you describe. Oddly, it is the toilet with the middle amount of use, of the three. The other two appear to still be perfect.
While waiting on the new seals, I took the defective seal off, and used a straight pin to pierce each blister. Water squirted out of some of them, but I pressed on each one, and emptied a drop of water from each blister. This made the defective seal look and work, perfectly.
Perhaps the manufacturing process leaves some specks of very hydroscopic material (curing agent?) in the gasket, that slowly absorbs water, inflating the blisters. I'm going to wait a while before replacing the seal, to see if new blisters appear.
By the way, all the nuts were way over tightened, at the factory, and I was afraid they would break, if I turned them hard enough to come loose. I poured a cup of hot water, over the top of the valve and this softened the plastic enough to get them past the first click, without breaking.
Great 'additional-information'!Thanks'!
Screw this. Going to Mansfield.
This just saved me a ton of time and money replacing the whole assembly. Thank you!
Outstanding video. You just solved my problem, and I thank you.
Thanks Alex 🙏👍
Excellent tutorial. My wife has been after me for weeks to fix the slow leak but I hate plumbing. After watching your video and a quick trip to Lowe’s I had the problem painlessly solved in minutes! Thanks
After all these years, they still can't build a proper toilet that won't leak. ???? Another good reason to buy a TOTO toilet.
Thanks for a great video! I've replaced several of these gaskets over the 11 years that I've owned two of the Champion 4's. Thanks to your video, this is the first time I've replaced one myself. They ARE awesome toilets otherwise. American Standard has never charged me a cent for any of the replacement gaskets. (Love your cameraman.)
I bought 3 of these toilets based on Consumer Reports and all 3 are leaking. I lost my receipt and have to pay American Standard for replacement parts. Now I don't trust American Standard or Consumer Reports. Thanks for posting this video. Great explanations and video positioning.
Hafeez Jaffer If you don’t have your receipt, purchase the ones on Amazon. Go through the link I have in the description. Some on Amazon are the real thing and some are knock offs. The link I have on there will take you right to the real one. It’s less expensive than if you go through American standard and you’ll get it faster.
Good luck with it.
In fairness to Consumer Reports it would be prohibitively expensive to test toilets long enough for a flaw like this to show up. American Standard should do the right thing and offer free replacement parts.
Consumer Reports mostly tests for performance as new, not for long-term reliability.
I would call AMer. Std back and point out that it is a well documented problem online about the blistering/bubbling of the gasket material and you want to talk with a CSR supervisor. As to a receipt, unless you paid cash for 3 toilets, go back thru your checks or credit card statements and find the check or expenditure. with that you can get a copy of the check or a record of the charge.
You probably installed it wrong
Alex April try this video out. You need to align the green pieces👍
ua-cam.com/video/t2BvB78ZEMg/v-deo.html
video is great. but the nut is on so tight I am unable to loosen it at all - any hints? you did explain procedure much better than the other videos-- thank you thank you I used suggestion from below using pliers to loosen bolt.... it worked and very easy I also cleaned the calcium build up before I did it .. thank you thank you
Just in case anybody needs a temporary solution, if you find that your silicone valve has bubbles, carefully take a pin or needle and pierce the bubbles to release the water that is trapped. I did this for mine just now and it is no longer leaking. I'm still going to order a replacement part, but this will hold me through until I receive the part.
Just did the same before I read this. Worked like a charm. Good holdover.
And it worked for me too! Thanks!,
Thanks! I popped two bubbles, so hopefully, this does the trick until the gasket comes in.
That pile of stuff in the bottom right of your toilet tank is what is causing those gaskets to where out so often. I have been a plumber for 35+ years and those tablets they sell that are supposed to clean your toilet automatically have a dye in them, which is what makes them a pretty color in the bowl water. That dye breaks down the rubber in a short period of time. Stop using those tabs in the tank and you will find that those gaskets will last for years rather than months
Having watched the video, I just ordered the gasket kit for original parts thru Lowes. Amazon had a link at the beginning of the comments section, but they all seemed to be aftermarket knockoffs. I don’t know if it’s planned obsolescence, lack of quality control, lack of pride in doing something well, or a combination of the above, but things made nowadays seem to fall apart rather quickly. I don’t remember growing up with having to have stuff repaired or replaced with such frequency. 🙄
I installed the gasket - and shortly after - the problem presented again. No bubbles, nothing - just wouldn't seal. Eventually, I turned the gasket over, and problem is resolved. By the way, those bubles are water filled - maybe an osmosis thing ...
Thanks! I installed two toilets (by a plumber) 3+ years ago; one leaked, the other is still fine. Got a 2-pack of the seals at Amazon for $8 (I have prime). Quick fix in 10 mins. The only part that takes a little courage is the first twist of that top nut. I felt that I would snap it (but didn't). After that, easy peasy. I counted 13 bubbles on the old seal. I'll just keep a few seals in my shop, and replace as often as I have to, no big deal. Our municipal water has a lot of chlorine in it, I wonder if that's the reason. Cheap fix for an otherwise great toilet.
You’re welcome 👍 Happy to help!
Thank you for sharing this video. I just called American Standard customer support and was able to get a free gasket replacement. All they asked for was the model number inside the toilet tank and purchase date, no receipt needed it. 10 year warranty per customer service. Also looks like it’s a red gasket now they have re-engineered it.
We have a brand new American Standard Champion 4 toilet. It has had Phantom Flush since we put it in. We watched your video. The problem is the green part you put the new gasket on does not have the black nut as shown in your video. It has a green part to hook the chain that looks like it is permanently molded to the large green circle. Have you seen one like this? If so, how do you take it apart?
My toilet was running constantly and made my water bill go up $30 dollars. I found the bubble just like you said and I pierced it with a needle. Water shot out of the gasket and it now seals good as new. I’ll wait awhile before I buy a new gasket to see if this is a solution for me.
Thanks. This was absolutely driving me crazy! Especially since I can't find any viable leaks. Mine did have these bubbles. New seal did the trick!
Happy to help! It’s too bad the seals are kind of a pain in the neck. Other than that I think it’s a great toilet.
I called American standard and I had no receipt, they said no worries, it has a 10 year warranty and they sent me the gasket kit free, took 1 week to receive it
So the essential question is, why is the gasket material (even the American Standard product) prone to blistering? For crying out loud!!! The regular flapper valve materials used on conventional toilets last much longer. Also, I see no reason for the elaborate hanging mechanism that screws into the top of the flapper assembly. Why not a simple hole and hook setup like conventional flapper valves? Seems like American Standard over engineered this baby, and that is causing some of these problems. I won't be buying this piece of junk.
How the hell does a sold silicone gasket develop bubbles? WTF?
How do you remove the seal if yours does not have the black thumb screw?
The little black part at 5:28 that unscrews has an o-ring installed in a groove. That cheapie o ring will deteriorate over several years and can cause a phantom flush. I replaced 2 Korky' flaps (they don't supply the o-ring in their kit) and was on my way to replacing the entire flush valve assembly, which involves about $40 in parts and seperating the tank from the bowl. New o-ring from a faucet set and problem solved.
Thanks for posting this. Yes it’s important to replace both the blue large seal and the small black o-ring. I think your best bet is to purchase these on Amazon or get them straight from American Standard. Be careful Amazon has some real ones and some knock offs. I put a link in the description to the real ones. 
Looks like Korky now supplies the o-ring. www.korky.com/products/flapper-seal-replacements-flush-valve-replacements/fits-american-standard-champion-seal
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002S5JZXS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Thanks for the video. I have four of them. 3 are leaking. Water bill has been going up for months. For those that are having a hard time unscrewing the nut... I used needle nose pliers and it pops right over that plastic stop. Popping holes in the blisters and putting it back together while waiting for replacement was also a great comment down below.
Thanks, fixed my issue. Amazing how American Standard managed to use a gasket material that can't hold up to such a simple environment like a toilet bowl. There's zero UV light, the temperature is cool, and it's not having that much pressure exerted on it. Yet, the god forsaken things can't last past a couple of years. I swapped mine out and it had two water-filled "blisters."
Good analysis, friend. You'd think the "engineers" could have figured out how to not make this thing leak. Glad I don't own this toilet (it's my parents'). It's freakin' 2019. I mean, we put a man on the moon 50 years ago, but can't make a toilet that doesn't leak??
Never had this much problem with the old flapper valves. Not new and improved, just new.
Mine pop and then only turn a small amount. Which hit the made on twist stops . Make me think it was a push down twist lock . After your video. I when back a twist harder. Hoping not to break the shaft . It finally popped really loud . And I was able to then get it to unscrew . The Fluidmaster 510A_001 . Picture instruction doesn't explain any of that . And the kit does not come with the small red rubber seal . But has stop the problem. As far as I can tell . Thank you . For your help .
Happy to help👍
On my American Standard Titan you cant change just the seal. you have to replace the whole assembly. Very sad business practice!
Thank you & thanks for the kind comment!👍😎
My toilet is leaking and I believe you have the solution. I will replace the seal. Fingers crossed because, otherwise, it’s a good toilet.
It will fix it! If, for some reason, it still leaking check out my other video, it’s title is “still leaking? Here’s how to fix it! American Standard Champion 4”
Excellent video. Just one pointer for you if you read the American standard literature they tell you not to use the chlorine pucks inside the tank, as it will distort your washer
My gasket had a bubble just as described in this video. When I punctured the bubble with a needle, liquid sprayed out under pressure and the gasket returned to its proper shape. I think if I had done this first then I probably would not have had to replace the gasket.
I can only see two possibilities for this phenomenon:- water leaks in but cannot leak out despite being under pressure -- which seems unlikely although Gore-tex does a similar trick with water vapour; OR the plastic of the gasket degrades into a liquid which has a higher volume than the solid form, creating a bubble -- also weird. Any ideas on the chemistry behind what's happening?
My old Mayfair toilet went 25 years without having to replace the flapper. I bought the American Standard to save water and because of the ten year warranty. It started leaking eighteen months after installation. Of course by then I had misplaced my sales receipt and warranty papers. The water saver toilets with the large tank valves have not been out for ten years so in my opinion American Standard should make good on their warranty and replace the parts for free. My opinion of American Standard has dropped considerably because of this manufacturing design defect not being addressed. I have two other toilets to replace but they will not be replaced with American Standard toilets.
THANK YOU SO MUCH - I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO THE TANK OFF TO FIX lol - kEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BEN :)
Just ordered through your link
Thanks to your video, I was able to diagnose the problem with my toilet quickly. However, I did not have to replace the gasket. Like a blister we have on our hands, I pierced it with the tip of a sharp knife and expressed the water from the blister. The gasket was perfectly flat afterwards and I reinstalled it. No more leaks for now. If it happens again, I’ll do the same thing until the gasket is too worn out to be reused.
Exactly what I did, works well.
Same
Wow! I cannot say thank you enough for your video! You are a life saver! This leak has been very stressful to me as I have not been well and my toilet is just a little over a year old. Its been leaking for months and I didn't understand how a brand new toilet could be leaking so soon. But thanks to you with your good video , great explanation and your cute little camera man. I was able to fix my toilet and now know what I need to do in the future to keep it from leaking again. Keep up the good work and God bless 😊
You make it seem like twisting the top is easy. It is not
It took two weeks after I contacted them for American Standard to get the replacement gasket to me. Installation was a snap thanks to your video. Sure enough, the old gasket had three bubbles in it. I have two American Standard Champion 4 toilets. The first one was purchased in 2011 and has not started leaking yet. The second purchased in 2012 started leaking a few months ago. So my experience has been a little better than yours. I do agree with your assessment that these are awesome toilets. I may replace the gasket in the older toilet just to be ahead of the game. I think this is a design flaw and American Standard should offer free replacement parts regardless of whether or not you have your receipt. I did have my receipt, but how many people save their receipts for 10 years? Thanks for taking the time to post this video. Oh, and thanks to Ben also.
Your amz link is not working? Is the top like the same bc it shows a clear gasket?
The new gasket is clear. Purchased that one it will work.
Thank you! Thank you! This is a perfect video with easy instructions. I did order the American Standard parts on Amazon. It took me like 5 minutes to repair. Thanks for sharing 😊
Gail Arnold you’re welcome! I’m so happy it worked out for you.👍
Spend those five minutes every two years and you’ll be in good shape.
Hi, I posted a similar video as I had received notices from our water/sewage dept informing me of excessive water usage.
I had two new toilets(American Std) installed and thought that was it.
Some time passed and my wife told me she could hear water running. Sure enough it was. Took me some time to figure out what was going on and eventually called the manufacturer . They immediately identify red the problem and sent me new seals. When they arrived I found the graphics on tge instructions to be different; my cap did not have the screw on the top. This made the installation so much more challenging. I am still not happy with this product as I have seen sone small bubbles around the seal which, in my case appears to have a smaller O.D. than yours.
Thanks for sharing. Btw camera man needs a raise. Helped a lot!
Water still runs after the tank fills up, new gasket went on pretty easy though.
Check out my other video, it’ll work👍Thank you & thanks for the kind comment!👍😎
If you pop the blister, would it work again?
Yes! However once it starts to blister new blisters will form quickly. You can pop them for short term solution while you wait to get some new ones.
I just did a repair exactly like this without seeing your video, and it was exactly that simple too!
Thank you for the very helpful video. I purchased the genuine American Standard gasket and installed. It's still ghost flushing. Your video makes me think I didn't get the last step, settling in the top cover, in between clicks. What do you suggest I try next? I have a new flush valve assembly on hand (genuine) but don't want to replace if it's not indicated.
try this video out. You need to align the green pieces👍
ua-cam.com/video/t2BvB78ZEMg/v-deo.html
Outstanding information. Thank you very much
You’re welcome! Consider a donation to my Super Thanks. If not, that’s totally okay!👍😎
I am disappointed that American Standard changed the very common flapper design with their leaky one. As I recall, it was even priced above average and now I know that there was a hidden gasket subscription. Maybe I should check UA-cam for repair videos before buying something.... The video was just what I needed though, thanks!
Popped bubble. Wish me luck.
Excellent video and thx for sharing! The cameraman also did a great job!
Try 4months…. Bought in June 2024 started ghost flushing last week…..August 2024…. They could surely make a better gasket…. It is a American Standard gasket…. I just bought it….
I purchased the seal from American Standard and did everything exactly the same as your video. Unfortunately my toilet is still doing the same thing. What’s my next step?
Thanks in advance.
ty for the video, i just bought the whole flush valve assembly, at Lowes, only had 1 in stock, home depot only carries it online, even though that's where i bought toilet. there valve i bought was American standard but was slightly different, (you can now take bottom off guide rod, but i just replaced the gasket without changing the whole valve, and it's working perfect. the screws on top was hard to turn, due to locking system, but needle nose pliers did the trick. wish I'd seen the video and just bought the gasket. but it's working, I'm done, wife happy, and didn't need to take tank off. ty.
Am Std is now using a red gasket and hopefully corrects problem of ghost flushing. (Sept, 2024) not yet available at Home Depot, but soon.
Thanks for the video. As you mentioned I did find bubbles on the gasket. However, I found the alternate temporary solution to the problem. Since I didn't have a new gasket, I took a needle and started puncturing all those tiny bubbles. As I was puncturing them a very small amount of water came out of it. Be careful not to puncture all the way through, just enough to flatten the bubble. I did that last night, and now no more dripping, or filling of tank after every 5 minutes.
This is exactly what I did
I bought five of them. One is leaking. Lowe’s guy suggested I use some silicone grease and it worked. I am going to bring him donuts as appreciation and the fact that he saved me a few hundred dollars.
Thanks bro!
Thank you! This simple fix was what I needed. I've changed 30 ballcock assemblies and just bought a replacement without looking at the toilet. Once I lifted the lid, I had quite the surprise with the newer valve. (DUH, I know...) Returned the other item and bought the gasket only and fixed the leak in 1 minute. You're a champ, mate!
This just saved me a lot of time, frustration and money locating the source of the leak and/or replacing the whole assembly. Thank you!
I can’t get the black cap to remove. It only turns once and then it has “humps” blocking it to keep it from unscrewing all the way. I don’t want to force it for fear of breaking it. It looks just like the one in the video.
Agree this is FLAW but a great toilet. This worked 100%. Bought a "Korkey" seal at Lowes for $9 CND. Gasket is much better and says guaranteed for 5 years but if last a few years I am good. Thanks for the video!
The corkey is best flopper 4 a old toilet that's worn. But if u can put a fluidmaster. On ur toilet. The rubber product is harder and last longer
Just installed one.... The lady of the house would not let me pick the toilet.... it sucks soo bad. I can't believe they still sell these! I mean, these videos are old! How come there's no class action lawsuit on this? First flush, I was like... I'm ordering a Toto drake 2 and dropping this thing from a tall building.
Going to Amazon and looking at the reviews of the gasket, I found a cheaper solution. Take a push pin and pop all the blisters, push out all the water. Put the gasket back on. Fixed it for me.
I find that they're making these faulty gasket for years now, to be disgusting. It's a low flow toilet, that has a easy to solve gasket issue that invalidates the low flow aspect of the product.
The toilet is great, flushed great, when my old toilet didn't work well. Just disappointing that we must deal with this.
You can pop the blisters and that will work for a short period of time. Once the gaskets start doing blisters then they will start having more and more blisters. You’ll have to pop them on a monthly basis. Buy a new gasket and you shouldn’t have to deal with it for two years.
Just popped the 1 blister it had. I’ll see how long that lasts…thanks!
@@lynnluna7115 mine are still holding up
Thank you! I’m so glad I saw this video. I thought I had to replace the entire valve! Took tank off back and then saw this! Thanks again. Much easier! Good to know because I also have two of these toilets!
This has to be the WORST toilet i ever owned in my lifetime. That gasket breaks every 6 months even if you use the original American Standard non knock off version. These American Standard toilets are junk and won't last! i replaced with Kohler and have ZERO problems..spend the extra cash and get yourself a real toilet
Thanks for your video! ... FOUR THINGS I WANT TO MENTION. ... 1) Blisters were on only one side for mine. So, I flopped it over and it stopped leaking!!! I have one on order too. ……......... 2) In our litigious society I'm surprised a lawyer isn't filing a class action lawsuit against American Standard. If someone wants to create a web site to acquire names, then sign me up!!! ...... 3) Watch his follow-up video for proper alignment!!! .......... 4) The "new" white/clear gaskets STILL bubble like before, so how can you say they are BETTER????
In short, thank you, and I would like American Standard (or someone) to try popping the air bubbles with a safety pin, and check if that fixes the leak at least temporarily. If so, then that information should be posted prominently. A new seal purchased from Lowes hardware shop (American Standard brand, says 5 year warranty, $8) solved my problem. The package of the new seal did not have a diagram showing that the top screw comes out (this is a suggestion for American Standard) and so I could not figure out how to remove the old seal, and found this video very useful. I had 2 new of these American Standard Champion toilets installed 3 years ago, and one of them started leaking 6 months ago. I found around half a dozen air bubbles in the old seal, a few as big as a quarter inch diameter. After replacing the old seal, I popped the air bubbles in the old seal (after removing it) with a safety pin and the surface became flat again. I thought I would try this on my other toilet, but, surprisingly, the seal of the other toilet had zero air bubbles. So, I left it as it is. I am disappointed by this design of the toilet tank by American Standard. Have they not tested the seals they install for quality control? It is clear from my two toilets that some installed seals are prone to air bubbles and some are not. They should find a way to avoid installing defective seals. If I had known this problem that the seals need replacement every 3 years, I would have installed a different toilet instead of this American Standard. The extra $50 or $100 might have been worth all this trouble.
You’re welcome 👍 Happy to help!
These replacement gaskets are available on Amazon for$7.00 including shipping (I just ordered two on sale for $5.43 a piece). The are the real deal, i.e.: American Standard. I haven't contacted American Standard yet to find out what material that the red o-ring is made from but I suspect that it is buna-n (I have twenty years of experience as a chemist) and the material compatibility charts indicate the following "BUNA-N is listed as "highly resistant" to petroleum products"...
Jonathan Bennett Great comment. I think you’re absolutely right. The good news is if you replace that gasket once every two years you should be in good shape. It’s an excellent toilet if you’re proactive about replacing the gaskets.
Wow............Great instructional video. Only took a few minutes.
“It’s a great toilet, except for it leaks every two years”. Okay buddy, if you think a brand new $200 toilet that leaks every two years is a good toilet to you, then I’d hate to see what you think a bad one is.